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ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION WITH RAILWAY TRAINS. No. 428,562. Patented May 20, 1890.

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T. J. HDUGK. ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION WITH RAILWAY TRAINS. No. 428,562. Patented May 20, 1890.

ATTORNEY.

me mams was ca., move-uma., WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

THOMAS J. HOUOK, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOHN T. WOOD, OF SAMEV PLACE.

ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION WITH RAILWAY-TRAINS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 428,562, dated May 20, 1890. Application led November 6, 1889. Serial No. 329,432. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern: instance these wires are shown suspended on Be it known that I, THOMAS J. IIOUCK, a poles d. The particular manner of running citizen of the United States, residing at Balthe wiresis immaterial. One wire (designated timore, in the AState of Maryland, have inby the letter a) runs direct without break 5 5 vented certain new and useful Improvements from one telephone B to the other. The secin Electric Communication with Railwayond wire I) runs from a switch-point f near Trains, of which the following is a speciiicaone telephone to a switch-point f near the tion. other telephone, but is broken by an insula- This invention relates to means for sending tor e,inserted in the wire at the end of every 6o 1o electric currents to and from moving railroadother section or block, which sections or trains, so as to aord communication between blocks are designated by the figures l, 2, 3, 4, a station and any one or thewhole number of 5, and 6. The third wire c has its ends made moving locomotives, or between two or more fast to the initial posts d at each terminal moving locomotives. station, and this Wire is broken by an insu- 65 The object of the invention is to provide a lator c', inserted at the end of alternate secrailroad with means for telephonie or teletions. Thus each section or block, after the graphic communication between terminal stafirst and last one, is marked at one end by an tions and any one or all the moving locomo- .insulator c on the second Wire b and at the tives distributed along the road between the other endby an insulator c on the third 7o zo said terminal stations. wire c. By this invention a block system may At each end of the sections or blocks is an be arranged and operated on a railway withelectro-magneto circuit-closer, of which seven out employing signal men at stations along are shown in the present instance, designated the road. D', D2, D3, D4, D5,D5, and D7. The second or 7 5 The invention is illustrated in the accomthird wires b c, as the case may be, are conpanying drawings, in which nected at opposite sides of their insulators c Figure l is an elevation or side view of a e by tap-wires g g with said electro-magneto railroad-track, locomotive, two stations, and circuit-closers'. The tap-wires g2 g3 connectthe connecting line-wires arranged according ing the magneto circuit-closer at the termi- 8o 3o to my invention. The entire View shown by nal stations are differently connected-that the two broken sections on Sheet l are to be is, one tap-wire g2 is attached tothe second considered together as one figure. Fig. 2 is wire b and the other gg is attached to the a View showing part ot' alocomotive provided third wire c. l with a telephone, the three connecting line- The electro-magneto circuit-closers consist 3 5 wires, an electro-magneto circuit-,closer conof an electro-magnet h andabarfi, attracted by nected by tap-wires with one of said linesaid' magnet and attached to a non-conductwires and the wires of another circuit to opive shaft j, which is movable in a bearing 7e, erate the magneto circuitcloser. Fig. 3 and carries a T-shaped circuit-closerl. At shows a station and telephone, the three coneach side of the circuit-closer is a contact- 9o 4o necting line-wires, an electro-magneto circuitplate m, to which the tap-wires are attached. closer, and tap-wires, a battery, the wires, It will be seen that when the magnet lz, is enand a switch-board for operating all the magergized it will attract the bar t'. and thereby neto circuit-closers. the T- shaped circuit-closer Z is brought The letter A designates the station at one against the contact-platesm, which completes 45 end of the road, and A the station at the the line-Wire circuit. Normally the Velectroother end. A telephone B, or in its stead a magnets h are in a demagnetized condition, telegraphic transmitter and receiver, is at and -consequently the line-wire circuit is each terminal station. broken.

The letter C designates the railway-track. For the purpose of operating the electrorco 5o Three wires in all are used in the circuit magneto circuit-closers I employ a battery employed for communication. In the present N, located at one terminal station, a wire 0,

leading from one pole of the battery to the electro-magnet 71. at the other terminal station, and branch wires o', leading from said wire o to each ot' the other magnets 71. From each magnet another wire p leads back to the other pole ot the battery; but this wire has a switch in its line for opening and closing the circuit. In the present instance all these switches are arranged on aboard at one terminal station, and are designated q', q2, Q3, q, Yq", g, and qi, corresponding to the magnets l) l)'-, UC.

Adjoining each telephone B, at the terminal stations, is a grounded wire r, connected with a switch-point f', and a switch s is attached to a wire leading to one side ot the telephone and in the position to lmake contact with either of the two switch-pointsff.

Each locomotive-cab E is provided with a telephone B', two switches t t', both connected with the telephone, and two points for connection with each switch. Each locomotive also has an upward-projecting arm F, carrying three contact-trolleys a', li', and c', which traverse the line-wires. From each trolley7 a wire leads to a switch-point in the cab, as follows: Frein the trolley CL a. wire leads to the switch-point 1t, and from the trolley c a wire leads to the switch-pointu. From the trolley b a wire leads to the switch-pointfr, and from the switch-point fr a wire r leads to the axle or other suitable part of the locomotive to make a ground-connection.

It. will be the duty of the operator at the terminal station,where the switch-boardis, to open or close the switches which are necessary to maintain communication with those sections or blocks of the road which are occupied by trains or locomotives.

In the operation ot the invention, when it is desired to communicatebetween aterlninal stat-ion and the various locomotives on the road, the following condition of parts should exist: First of all it is necessary that the switches at the telephones at the terminal stations shall be set as shown-that is, to con neet with the switch-point to which the sccond wire l) is attached-thereby making provision for a metallic circuit through the three wires (L b C. It is also necessary for the locomotive engineers when ruiming on the road to have the switches in their cabs maintain the position shown in Fig. Q-that is, the switch t to be in contact with the point u andthe switch t to be in contact with the point Suppose, as in the present case, the locomotive is in section or block two. This location of the locomotive of course will be known to the operators at the terminal stations, they having been notiiied by the engineer, through the telephone B in his cab, just previous to his leaving the last section or block. The operator will have the switches q', q, and q set to close the circuit, and the engineer will have the switches in his eab set as already explained. Under these conditions the terminal telephones B and the locomotive-telephones B will be in communication. For the purpose' just described the line-wires c b c are used as a metallic circuit and the grounded wires i', adjoining the telet phones B, are not employed. My invention, theretore, does not necessarily include said grounded wires as an essential part.

\Vhen it is desired to communicate from one of the terminal stations to a locomotive occupying any one particular section or block without including the locomotives in other sections, the engineer will be instructed to establish a ground-circuit by moving the cabswitches t t', so that the switch t will make contact with the point fu, and the switch t with the point o. The station-operator will place the switch s in contact with the point f', thereby establishing a grounded circuit.

Yfhcre the term instrument, or electric receiving and transmitting instrument is elnployed in the claims, I mean to include either a telephone or telegraphicinstrument. lVherc the term locon'1otive, or can or train is employed, either and all of these are meant to be included. Itwill be obvious that intermediate stations along the road may have instruments connected with the line-wires in the same manner.

ily the manner here described of arranging the line-wires, insulators, electro magneto circuit-closers, and tap-wires each and every instrument at terminal stations, and also those distributed along the road, either in locomotive-cabs or at intermediate stations, are connected in series by a metallic circuit, and in the ease of using telephones th is arrangement very largely obviates induction.

lIaving described my invention, I claiml. In a system of electric communication with moving railwaytrains, the combination of au elect-ric circuit consisting of three parallel linewires c, l) c, the first one a of which is without break, the second one l; being broken by insulators e, inserted at intervals along its length, and the third one c also broken by insulators e', inserted at intervals along its length, the said intervals and insnlaters of the two wires alternating with re spect to each other, an electro-magneto circuit-closer t'or each of said inserted insulators, two tap-wires connecting each electromagneto circuit-closer with one or the other of said insulator-inserted wires, each tap-wire taking on a different side of the insulator, a railroad-track, a terminal station haring an elect ric receiving or transmitting instrument, and a locomotive or car provided with au electric receiving or transmitting instrument, and also provided with an arm having contact trolleys to take on the line-wires.

2. A system of electric communication with moving railway-trains, consisting of the combination of the following: a railroad-track, the two terminal stations, each having an instrument, a circuit between said terminal stations consisting of three wires, as follows: the first wire a connecting the said two instruments TIO and without break, the second wire b extended between and connected with said two instruments but broken by an inserted insulator e at intervals along its length, and the third wire c extended between the terminal stations, but unconnected with either of said two instruments, and' broken by an inserted insulator c at intervals, which alternate with those of the second wire, an electro-magneto circuit-closer for each of said wire-inserted insulators, two tap-wires connecting each electromagneto circuit-closer with either the said second or third wires (as the case may be) at opposite sides of said inserted insulators, and a locomotive or car provided with an electric receiving or transmitting instrument.

3. In a system ot electric communication with moving railway-trains, the combination of an electric circuit consisting of three parallel line-wires a b c, the rst one a of which is without break, the second one b being broken by insulators e, inserted at intervals along its length, and the third one c also broken by insulators c', inserted at intervals along its length, thesaid intervals and insulators of the two wires alternating with respect to each other, an electro-magneto circuit-closer for each of said wire-inserted insulators, two tap-wires connecting each electro-magneto circuit-closer with l one or the other of said insulator-inserted wires, each tap-wire taking on a different side of the insulator, a battery N, a wire making a circuit with each electro-magneto circuit-closer, and a switch in the last-named circuit.

4t. In a system of electric communication with moving railway-trains, the combination of a railroad-track, a metallic circuit consisting of three parallel line-wires ct h c, the iirst one a of which is without break, the second. one Z) being broken by insulators c, inserted at intervals along its length, and the third one c alsobroken byinsulators e', inserted at intervals along its length, the said intervals and insulators of the two wires alternating with respect to each other, an electro-magneto circuit-closer for each of said inserted insulators, two tap wires connecting each electro-magneto circuit-closer with one or the other of said insulator-inserted wires, each tap-wire taking on a different side of the insulator, a telephone or telegraphic instrument at each end of the circuit, a grounded wire r, connected with a switch-pointf, adjoining each telephone, a switch s, attached to one of the wires of the metallic circuitnear the telephone and in position to make contact with the said point of the grounded wire, a locomotive or car provided with a telephone or telegraphic instrument having electrical connection with said metallic circuit, and a wire r on the locomotive or car to make a ground-connection.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS J. HOUOK.

iVitnesses:

J No. T. MADDOX, JOHN E. MORRIS. 

